The Prophetic Word - Day 189: The Lord defends and restores those who completely turn to Him.

““I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely, For My anger has turned away from him. I will be like the dew to Israel; He shall grow like the lily, And lengthen his roots like Lebanon. His branches shall spread; His beauty shall be like an olive tree, And his fragrance like Lebanon. Those who dwell under his shadow shall return; They shall be revived like grain, And grow like a vine. Their scent shall be like the wine of Lebanon.”

‭‭Hosea‬ ‭14‬:‭4‬-‭7‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

As we set out to do, this week we have employed the story of Israel’s backsliding as a lens through which to see the way to return to the Lord, as well as the benefits of doing so. We also have considered the terrible consequences coming with not returning to Him.

Before concluding our investigation (for now), we must address what will be the ultimate return of Israel.

Ignorantly, some people suppose that God has once and for all, cast Israel off. Indeed, some maintain that Israel has no “special” place anymore in the plan of God. However, in this assumption, they are greatly mistaken.

Given, Jews must receive Christ to inherit eternal life, just like anybody else. And, they no longer have exclusivity in terms of the promises of God. However, Israel is still special to God; indeed, Jerusalem will be an important seat from which the Lord will rule and reign…forever!

As well, the culmination of God’s plan for putting an end to all evil rule will be initiated when the Lord returns to fight for Israel.

“In that day the Lord will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; the one who is feeble among them in that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the Angel of the Lord before them. It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.”

‭‭Zechariah‬ ‭12‬:‭8‬-‭10‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Yes, those nations who set out to finally annihilate Israel, will find that they have come to be destroyed by the Lord Himself.

“Behold, the day of the Lord is coming, And your spoil will be divided in your midst. For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem; The city shall be taken, The houses rifled, And the women ravished. Half of the city shall go into captivity, But the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then the Lord will go forth And fight against those nations, As He fights in the day of battle. And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, Which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, From east to west, Making a very large valley; Half of the mountain shall move toward the north And half of it toward the south. And this shall be the plague with which the Lord will strike all the people who fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh shall dissolve while they stand on their feet, Their eyes shall dissolve in their sockets, And their tongues shall dissolve in their mouths.”

‭‭Zechariah‬ ‭14‬:‭1‬-‭4‬, ‭12‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Now, Israel ceased to exist as a nation for millennia. But, in 1948, Israel was “born” again. Since that point in time they have lived under the threat of total destruction from the Muslim nations surrounding them.

Since the October 7th terror attacked by Hamas, we are seeing antisemitism being exposed all over the world. Sadly, some of our own members of Congress are leading the antisemitic rhetoric. Indeed, many of our “prestigious” universities are a hotbed of Jew-hatred!

We can now clearly see how the whole world will be gathered against Jerusalem.

But, make no mistake, Israel will return to the Lord and be restored. As Christ died and was raised up on the third day, Israel, seemingly in its death throes will be raised up!

“Come, and let us return to the Lord; For He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up. After two days He will revive us; On the third day He will raise us up, That we may live in His sight. Let us know, Let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord. His going forth is established as the morning; He will come to us like the rain, Like the latter and former rain to the earth.”

‭‭Hosea‬ ‭6‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

And, yes, King Jesus will fight—and win—their final battle!

In our opening Scripture we see God’s promise to bestow great blessing, prosperity, and peace, on Israel when it returns to Him.

Part of the good news for us is that we are already living in the blessing of God through Jesus Christ. And, daily, if we will turn away from our own way of being and doing and completely trust in Him, though He may not appear badly in the midst of our struggles, He will most certainly fight our battles. Yes, He will defend us; and He will win!

Peace to you.

Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!

#ThePropheticWord